The Fascinating Story Of A Town Surrounded By Canada

In the U.P., Yoopers celebrate their unique dual-peninsula home, while just across the border, life in the Northwest Angle comes with an unusual twist.

Did Minnesota out-Canada the Michigan Upper Peninsula?

The Michigan U.P. is very unique for many reasons. Because of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Michigan is the only state in the United States that's made up of two peninsulas.  In addition to that, technically, Michigan's Upper Peninsula is closer to Canada than it is to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.  Yoopers take great pride in how unique their neck of the woods is.  However, "The Angle" might be stealing their thunder.

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There is a tiny Minnesota town called the Northwest Angle.  Only 54 people live on this small piece of land surrounded by Canada.  If you are in Angle Township, Minnesota, you have to leave the country to leave the town.  For example, if you have a Doctor's appointment in Minnesota, you will need to drive into Canada and then back into the United States of America.  Imagine needing your passport just to leave the town you live in.  As you can see in the graphic below, the solid white line is the international border separating the U.S. and Canada. You can see that the border to the West, North, and East of Angle Township is surrounded by a body of water to the South.

This has to be some kind of mistake, right?  Actually, yes, it was a mistake according to CBS News,

it WAS a mistake, made in 1783 during the Treaty of Paris. The border being drawn between the U.S. and then Britain was supposed to cut through Lake of the Woods at a northwest angle -- hence the name.

 

Residents of The Angle have to cross the international border constantly.  Every single day, high school students are crossing into Canada and then back into the U.S. to go to school, and then again when they go home.  This became a major issue as residents were trapped there during the Pandemic according to this recent TikTok from @Uncovering_yt,

Another thing unique about the Michigan/Canada border is the Great Lakes.  Even though we are separated by water, there are still several ways to get to Canada from Michigan.